Vegas, Baby! Overhanging limestone cliffs. Perfect temps. Good friends. Never enough time!

We headed off to Las Vegas over Labor Day Weekend for our good friend Melissa's wedding and figured we'd do a little climbing while we were there with Oky and Mike.  We had heard there was good climbing on bullet hard limestone at high elevation, but overall, the reviews had been mixed.  Some people described it as amazing, while others talked of razor sharp pockets on overhanging rock.  The guidebook described it as a "world class destination".

 

 

 

Quite frankly, we just weren't strong enough to put the guidebooks claims to the test, since Mount Charleston is known for its high concentration of 5.13s and 5.14s.  We did however have a great time climbing the routes that were bolted for mere mortals.  Some of the routes at Mt. Charleston are so long that 70m ropes are required.  Some routes were so sharp and runout that we have a pretty good idea what thoughts go through a chunk of cheese before it's passed througha cheese grater.  Some routes were just plain fun. 

 

Three days of climbing with old friends and a beautiful wedding made for a great three day weekend.  Can't wait for our next chance to visit the newly weds and explore the wonderful rock that surrounds Las Vegas!

Dear Micah (5 months)

You have become quite the adventure baby! You racked up a lot of mileage this month on all the trips we took together as a family. Not only did you go on multiple climbing and camping trips to Jackson Falls, Illinois, you also went on your very first airplane ride to California. You are such a good traveler and amazed us with how easy going and well behaved you were. We are so blessed to have such a perfect baby! You love to go outdoors with Mommy and Daddy. We take you to the park and you love to swing and watch all the ducks and geese. You also love going on climbing and camping trips. There is always so much to see that you don’t want to nap when you are outdoors. You are so worn out after short catnaps all day that you sleep so well at night in the tent, all bundled up in layers like a big burrito. You go to sleep all by yourself and finally sleep all night now. When you wake up, you talk and play by yourself in your crib. We love waking up to your little goos and gaas over the monitor. You have a nanny that watches you now when Mommy and Daddy are gone during the day. You and Chelsea have become good friends and you are always happy to see her in the mornings. You seem to do better with strangers now and will even crack a smile at them every now and then. You are at such a fun age. You learned to sit up all by yourself, you can push up onto your hands and knees, you give “high fives”, and your giggles are out of control! You have also taken on a new interest and mild obsession over food. You love to stare at people when they eat. We couldn’t wait anymore and started feeding you solid foods about 2 weeks before you turned 6 months. You have had avocados, bananas, and sweet potatoes. You seem to love it all. We tried oatmeal once and you gagged, made faces, and spit it right back out. You also love to take sips of water from our cups like a big boy. After you eat or drink anything, you smack your lips together and say “mmmm”!

St. Louis Symphony Concert at Forest Park

Me and My Auntie Carine!

"New Tricks"

A new video I put together from Micah's 4th month of life....Enjoy :)


"New Tricks" - Micah August 2012 from Yolanda Chen on Vimeo.